A local nonprofit clinic that provides uninsured women with free gynecological care has seen a significant increase in the number of patient referrals since it opened in 2014 — and student organizations at UW-Madison are helping them fund the effort.
Community doctors Mary Landry and Katherine O’Rourke founded Share the Health after realizing there was no place in the Dane County area where uninsured women could go for these services without having to pay out-of-pocket, according to Landry, who has been the director of UW-Madison’s Women’s Health Clinic for 12 years.
The nonprofit clinic sees patients with issues ranging from abnormal bleeding to abnormal cervical cancer screenings — different issues that need to be addressed by a specialist. To qualify for care, however, a patient must be referred to Share the Health by a primary care clinic who cannot provide the gynecologic care needed. Eligible patients must also be uninsured.
According to Landry, once a patient is eligible and admitted to be cared for, Share the Health covers their medical costs — from diagnostic procedures to treatment.
“We have, in the state, lots of free programs for screening for cancer, but if you have an abnormal screening test, then you’ll have to have diagnostic procedures and treatment. That’s where if you don’t have insurance, Share the Health [comes in],” Landry said. “From the moment [a patient] steps through our door — even if they have cancer — their entire care is zero charge.”
Although the majority of patients are adult women in the Madison area, Landry said University Health Services has referred “one or two” uninsured UW-Madison students to the clinic when the university does not have the capability to address their issues.
Since the nonprofit organization covers the costs for patient care, they rely on grants and fundraising. That’s where student organizations help.
Wisconsin MEDLIFE — whose focus is on educating people about how to live a healthier life — partnered with Share the Health in 2017. Aside from doing health volunteer work in countries like Ecuador and Peru, the organization raises money for Share the Health with fundraising events such as 5k runs and raffles.
The group raised $2,500 for the organization last year and plans to raise another $2,500 this year, according to club president and UW-Madison senior Jasdeep Kler.
“Any money they get, they truly appreciate,” Kler said. “We always try to give as much as we can, year after year.”
For All Women is another organization on campus that aims to raise awareness for local health issues — specifically about issues and barriers that low-income minority women face in the Madison area.
The organization partnered with Share the Health shortly after its founding nearly two years ago, according to president and founder Gabby Aranda. Aranda said the group raises money for the nonprofit through health activities such as yoga sessions and boxing classes to ensure the organization can continue to support women who cannot afford the medical care they need.
“A lot of women do not have access to gynecological care,” Aranda said. “We try to raise money for Share the Health so they are able to purchase more equipement and more trainings for the doctors and the students to be able to help these women even more.”
While Share the Health — who cares for about 100 women each year — relies on a volunteer force that includes highly specialized physicians, Landry said she is thankful for the efforts of UW-Madison’s student organizations.
“I am incredibly grateful for the persistent and consistent persuasion that these young folks have had to continue to stretch us to meet the request,” Landry said.
